EDINBURG, Texas (Interstat) — The Texas Legends used a dominant second quarter to build a lead and then held off a persistent Rio Grande Valley Vipers squad for a 119-110 victory in the NBA G League on Thursday night at Bert Ogden Arena.

The Legends evened their season record at 2-2, while the Vipers remained winless at 0-2.

A tightly contested first quarter ended with the teams tied at 26, but the Legends seized control in the second period, outscoring the Vipers 33-26 to take a 59-52 lead into halftime. Texas maintained its advantage through the second half, answering every Vipers push to secure the road win.

Dalano Banton led the Legends with 24 points, adding six assists and four rebounds. The 6-foot-9 point guard was instrumental in orchestrating the Texas offense. Zhaire Smith, a native of Garland, Texas, provided a scoring punch with 18 points, while Miles Kelly chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds. Matthew Cleveland anchored the paint, pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds to go with six points.

Despite the loss, Rio Grande Valley saw several standout individual performances. Efe Abogidi, the Vipers’ 6-foot-10 center, recorded a team-high 24 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Daishen Nix matched that scoring output with 24 points of his own and dished out seven assists.

The Vipers also received a strong all-around effort from Teddy Allen, who posted a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Isaiah Crawford nearly matched him, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

The game was a back-and-forth affair early, with both teams trading baskets. The Legends’ second-quarter surge proved to be the difference, creating a cushion that the Vipers could not overcome despite closing the gap to single digits on multiple occasions in the second half.

Texas returns to action against the same Vipers team on Saturday night in Edinburg. Rio Grande Valley will look to secure its first victory of the young season in the rematch.